Tortilla Stack – REVISED
Tortilla Stack is one of our favorite crockpot dinners. However, this weekend, I wanted to make it when hosting dinner for a friend, but I did not have the 2 hours prior to start the crockpot. I decided to turn it into a Tortilla Stack Bake instead of making it in the crockpot! It was delicious!! We even found that baking the stack makes for better consistency for the tortillas! So, here is an oldie and a goodie, REVISED!
1 teaspoon Canola Oil or Olive Oil
1 small-medium yellow Onion, chopped
4-5 Garlic Cloves, pressed (or mince if you do not own a garlic press)
1-2 teaspoons of Fajita Seasoning
1 can Diced Tomatoes, Drained (14.5-ounce)
1 can Tomato Sauce (14.5-ounce)
2-3 Chicken Breasts, cut into small pieces
1-2 tsp Turmeric
1 can Corn, drained (14.5-ounce)
1 can Black Beans, drained (14.5-ounce)
7-10 Whole Wheat Tortillas (This number is for small tortillas; May need to be ripped in some places to cover the sauce areas)
2 cups Colby Jack cheese, shredded (Add more if desired)…
Re-invent the Roti
Extending our commitment for RENEWAL to creativity in the kitchen can result in delicious healthy meals for your family. My husband and I have a new passion for Indian food so I have been experimenting with some recipes. Last year I hit a home run (in my husband’s opinion) when I created a Bombay Bowl , so I had a bit of confidence that he would be up for trying another Indian surprise. Last week we enjoyed an Indian style wrap called a Roti. Roti is the flat bread made form stoneground whole wheat flour. In contrast to Naan bread, Roti is unleavened and therefore is perfect for a wrap style Indian meal. If you do not have the interest or time to make your own Roti flat bread, you can use Trader Joe’s whole wheat tortillas for a perfect Roti wrap. I had read about an eggplant curry from East India called Vindaloo. This curry is a popular dish from the region of Goa and is also found in the cuisine of Mumbai. Knowing that eggplant is not my husband’s favorite vegetable, I added equal amounts of roasted zucchini and roasted eggplant and the results was perfection. I also made a potato, carrot, pea and chicken filling as well.
Ingredients for Eggplant Zucchini Vindaloo Curry Roti Filling
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 yellow onion sliced thin
4 Indian eggplants or 1 medium regular eggplant cubed (1 1/2 cups needed)
2 zucchini cubed
3 cloves garlic smashed
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoon Garam Masala spice
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 plum tomatoes chopped
1/4 cup water…
RENEW Your Relationship
Let’s resolve to RENEW our relationship with our spouse or significant other in 2015!
The Dating Divas are offering a terrific platform to “rock your relationship in 2015” with a fun 30 day Instagram challenge.
Just click the image below to get the instructions and printables!
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Be Blessed Right Where You Are
How many times have you found yourself stuck? Have you heard, thought or said any of the following… “When I arrive here”, “When I get this”, “When this happens” THEN… THEN WHAT? Life can begin? You have arrived? You are now blessed?…No, no… we have it all wrong. Thinking like that only wishes away where you are, wasting the blessings of the present. Not all blessings are perfectly wrapped with a bow on top. But I guarantee you they are there.
Look around you and find the blessing in today. They may be right under your nose. But your vision may be clouded by the what ifs. Dreaming is good, planning is essential, forward thinking is helpful, and thinking about the future can be enjoyable, but you can’t let it overshadow the joys of today. You have to keep your dreaming and hoping in check with reflecting, engaging, and being present.
Ways to focus on the blessings:
- Use a Gratitude Journal (see description here)
- See Jesus (blog post here)
- Look to bless others (With a heart to bless others, you are usually blessed and have a perspective shift in return)
- Pray! (Prayer is powerful. Walls are broken down, hearts are changed, and the Lord is given the power)
- Wear a smile and think positively (article here)
Live today. Be blessed in today. Recognize the blessings. Bless others in return. Live blessed. I want to live this way. May I renew my life and the life around me by recognizing my blessings and living different because of it.
How can you live blessed?
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Healthy Cinnamon Oat Pancakes
A great way to start each day RENEWED is to eat a healthy breakfast! I found this recipe through a database of Biggest Loser Recipes. I have changed it slightly but it is still healthy and delicious and easy to make!
Healthy Cinnamon Oat Pancakes
6 Egg Whites
1 Cup Rolled Oats
1 Cup Cottage Cheese
2 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Vanilla
What to Do:
1. Place all ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth.
2. Heat and grease a griddle or large pan at medium heat
3. Use a 1/4 or 1/3 cup to scoop out batter and place on the hot griddle. Flip when that side begins to bubble.
4. Repeat and Eat!
These pancakes are really delicious! They are also very moist so they are pretty tasty without syrup for a healthier option – Add extra cinnamon on top for more flavor!
Go here to see the Nutritional System Per Serving (The numbers will be slightly different with the modified recipe, but they will still be close)
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Family-Supports One Another
We have been blessed with a family that supports one another. In triumphs and through trials, in new life and in death, in celebrations and in sorrow…our family sticks together. Last year, around this time we had two very important people pass away. We pulled together, we got through it and we grew in grace and wisdom. We experienced forgiveness and healing and we have moved on. This October, we celebrated a new birth, Mikah Ada. She is our 7th grand child and her arrival was just as exciting as our first grand baby. She is a precious addition to our family and although she is only 3 months old, I can’t imagine life without her. I often feel overwhelmed with gratitude for the pleasure of hearing the little voices of my grandchildren and I thank God daily for my family!!!
Family can also be a collection of friends that become as close as family through shared experiences over time. When we lived overseas from 1983-1985 the friends that we met in our community and at our awesome church became family. Since most of us were living very far from our real families, we spent every holiday together creating new traditions and sharing old ones. We still hold those friends close in our hearts even though we do not see them very often. We stay connected through phone calls, emails, social media and the infamous Christmas letters that we send every year.
Last night we had the privilege of attending a special anniversary celebration for dear friends. It was a reunion of sorts because so many of the guests had a rich past full of memories together. I was reminded of all that we had shared as we raised our kids together, served in church together and built lasting friendships …
Read MoreExciting Opportunity
An exciting opportunity has come our way…..
Here is the email we received a few days ago…..
Congrats! Someone Thinks your Blog is Amazing!
“Just wanted to share the good news that your blog was nominated for a Blogger of the Year Award (People’s Choice)! Blogger of the Year Awards is the final event at Build your Blog Conference. We will honor winners and finalists at a formal dinner and awards gala.
The awards will be given at the closing night of the Build your Blog Conference in Salt Lake City, February 20-21. 2015.”
Here’s how it works:
- 5 finalists will be chosen and announced on Feb 1, 2015.
- All finalists will receive notoriety and prizes worth $500 or more and will be featured at the Blogger of the Year Awards Gala at the Build Your Blog Conference.
- The winner gets $1,500 cash (plus prizes). Overall we’re giving away over $20k in cash and prizes at the event!
Here is where YOU, our readers can help!!!! Click on the picture below and you will be taken to the website where you can vote, one vote per email address so get everyone in your household to vote. Type in your email in the first box and scroll down in the second box almost to the end where you will find www.GrowingWeisser.com. Select our blog, GrowingWeisser and after you type in the code they show you, please vote for us. As a bonus for you, our readers, everyone who votes for People’s Choice is nominated to win a 4-day family vacation to Disneyland!!
Share this opportunity to vote for GrowingWeisser with everyone you know!!! We would be honored to have your support and hopefully more people will be blessed by our blog.
Thanks from all the Growing Weisser Gals!!!…
Read MoreMotivation Through Social Media
As a new year dawns, many people make the mistake of committing to resolutions that are too strict or unrealistic. When it comes to social media, many of these resolutions can be to deactivate Facebook or delete certain apps off your phone. While I am all for this if the need is there, I decided to take a more positive spin with Social Media in 2015.
I decided to flood my Instagram and Facebook feeds with positive images that motivate me and encourage my goals for 2015.
Here are some things I’ve done to nourish the resolutions I’ve set in place:
1. Follow a few people whose recipes inspire you to cook and/or eat better. The key component here is to feel motivated by their posts, not discouraged that your diet or cooking ability won’t or can’t measure up.
2. Follow someone who can encourage an area of need in your life. For me lately that has been preparing meals for my kids. I love following “planetbox” to get ideas for fun and healthy kid meals.
3. Follow someone who is successful at what they do. I love seeing someone who is fired up about about their goals and putting plans into action!
4. Follow someone who urges you to be better! I want to get stronger physically this year so I started following a few amazing yogis to encourage my fitness goals.
5. Join a challenge. I love yoga, but don’t have the time right now to join a studio and have not been practicing much since I had kids. However, I joined a really fun yoga challenge that is rekindling my love of yoga and making me realize the benefits of fitness and areas I’m excited to improve upon.
6. Don’t forget about your friends! It can be …
Read MoreSeeing Jesus Renews Your Soul
Have you seen Jesus today? What if you were to take some time every day to recognize Jesus. To see him in the little things, in the routine of life, in daily activities, in small wins. Do you think this may change your perspective? It would be hard not to have it change your outlook right? If you were trying to see Jesus in everything, you would see things through a completely different lens. So why isn’t seeing Jesus a normal thing? Do we set out to do it in the morning, then the day just gets away from us? If he is our everything, do we see him in everything?
I don’t want to live just for myself or just to exist. Can I look through my eyes with a lens of Christ, not just look with my own eyes. I want to see more in others. I want to see more in myself. I want to see greater potential. I want to see more depth. I want to see growth. I want to see goodness. I want to see purpose. I want to see hope. I want to see him. And in that, I want to experience the fullness and the abundance that Christ has for me.
So you want your life to be different this year? Then you have to live different. You have to think different. You have to act different. Your new years resolution may be to add something, it may be taking something away, but don’t forget the most important piece. Bring Jesus into every little thing in your life. He is always with you, so why not recognize him, live in him, and strive to reach what he has for your life.
So here’s your homework, or call it your reflection time or …
Read MoreBe Full of Gratitude in 2015
Being more grateful is a common choice for a New Year’s Resolution. The website, HappierHuman.com, gives a list of “31 Benefits of Gratitude You Didn’t Know About: How Gratitude Can Change Your Life“. Some of these benefits include: Gratitude makes us happier, Gratitude makes us healthier, Gratitude makes us more optimistic, Gratitude makes us less self-centered, Gratitude improves your sleep, Gratitude increases your energy levels, Gratitude deepens friendships, Gratitude increases your productivity…Read the rest of the list to learn more about how gratitude can change your life! Being grateful can be difficult among busy schedules and your day-to-day monotony. Having a gratitude journal can be very helpful and effective to remember how many things in your life there are to be thankful for!
We, Weisser Women, received a Gratitude Journal for Christmas called “Choose Gratitude: Blessings Journal”. This gift has become a type of New Year’s Resolution for each of us. There is a space for every day of the year so every night or morning you write down a blessing from the previous day. It can be something that happened or just something you thought of throughout the day. But, it can really make a difference in what you are thinking about or your perspective on life.
Here is a blog post from the author of “Choose Gratitude: Blessings Journal”, Crystal Paine on how choosing gratitude has changed her life! Unfortunately, this has become such a popular Gratitude Journal that it is currently out of stock on Crystal’s blog and Amazon but you can still order it to receive it when more are published. Either order it at the bottom of the blog post above or on Amazon in the link below.
Choose to Be Full of Gratitude this New Year!
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